2015 State of St. Louis Workforce Report - St. Louis Community College [PDF]

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Workforce 2015

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Copyright © 2015 St. Louis Community College All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the St. Louis Community College, Workforce Solutions Group.

Printed in the United States of America.

Published by St. Louis Community College Workforce Solutions Group Corporate College 3221 McKelvey Road Bridgeton, MO 63044-2551

Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained herein is accurate, St. Louis Community College makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of such information. Furthermore, St. Louis Community College hereby disclaims any liability or responsibility to any person for loss or damages, including expenses, which may arise or result from the use of any information contained herein or following the procedures described herein but not limited to, fines or penalties for the violation of any federal, state or local regulations. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Most references to manufacturers or their products are registered trade names and are to be treated accordingly.

Produced by St. Louis Community College and Workforce Solutions Group Visit STLCC.edu/STLworkforce for more information.

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FOREWORD St. Louis Community College is pleased to present the 2015 State of St. Louis Workforce Report. Each year since 2009 the College and its research partners have tracked the recovery and growth of our region’s workforce, as well as its continuing challenges, through the research and production of this report. It has provided timely and critical workforce intelligence that has helped St. Louis Community College respond to the needs of our students and employer partners. We also believe that it has provided valuable information to the region’s many public, private and community-based organizations who are struggling to prepare or acquire the skilled workforce necessary to drive our economy forward. In 2014, the State of St. Louis Workforce Report took an in-depth look at the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) segment of the workforce. The 2014 report concluded that job growth and wages are higher for STEM occupations but a large gap persists between the supply of and demand for STEM workers. For 2015, the report returns to focusing on the wide range of industries and occupations that comprise the St. Louis economy and workforce. This allows us to continue tracking many of the same workforce trends and issues outlined in our first report in 2009. The national and regional economies have in some ways fully recovered from the great recession and are on a steady growth trajectory. The national unemployment rate has been nearly halved from a high of 10% in October, 2009 to the current rate of 5.5%. Likewise the St. Louis unemployment rate has been reduced from a high of 10.9% in October of 2009 to the current 5.8%. Nearly 11 million new jobs have been created in the last five years. In 2009 there were six unemployed for every job opening. Now there are 1.6. Likewise the gap between the unemployment rate and the number of job openings has dropped from a high of 8.2 in October of 2009 to 1.6 in May of 2015. The events of 2014 in Ferguson remind us, however, that the benefits of an improving economy have not been evenly distributed throughout our community. The U.S. unemployment rate for African-American male youth ages 16-19 is 31.1% while the rate for all African-American males age 16 or older is 10.2%. The rate for African-Americans with less than a high school diploma is 17.2% while the rate with high school but no college is 10.7%. These rates are in some cases double those of the population at large. The theme of the 2015 report is Economic Opportunity Gaps in the St. Louis Workforce. In light of this year’s theme we are pleased to partner with the Urban League of

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Greater St. Louis, a community leader for civil rights and economic empowerment, in exploring these issues. In addition to general questions about hiring trends and challenges we asked employers about issues that may act as barriers to opportunity—such as their positions on hiring ex-offenders— as well as bridges to opportunity, such as employers’ willingness to hire graduates of short-term accelerated and targeted training programs. We also conducted focus group interviews of participants in four local programs serving economically disadvantaged targeted populations to hear their perspective about barriers to opportunity and strategies to overcome them. For 2015, we telephone interviewed more than 1,100 employers in industries representing the entire spectrum of the St. Louis economy. With the help of our partners at the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, we compiled labor market information from public sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau. To provide deeper insights we utilized new analytical tools such as the Burning Glass real-time labor market analytics tool. The information gathered reflects a growing economy but with stubborn skill shortages and uneven access to economic opportunity. We hope that this report will shed light on these issues and, ultimately, lead to their solution. We would like to thank and acknowledge our employers, research and media partners without whom we would not be able to bring this informative workforce report to the region. We hope you will find this report valuable and utilize its findings for the benefit of your organization and our community. Sincerely,

Jeff Pittman, Ph.D.

Stephen Long, M.P.A.

Chancellor

Associate Vice Chancellor Workforce Solutions

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword.......................................................................................................................................... ii  Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 1  Methodology.................................................................................................................................... 4  St. Louis Economy ........................................................................................................................... 7  Employer Survey ............................................................................................................................ 18  The Employment and Educational Experiences of Economically Disadvantaged Populations ........ 46  Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ 57  Sources ........................................................................................................................................... 58  Appendix I: Focus Group Questions .............................................................................................. 59  Appendix II: State of St. Louis Workforce Employer Survey 2015 ................................................. 61 

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The U.S. and St. Louis regional economy is in a much different place than it was just two years ago, certainly when compared to the depth of the recession in 2009-10. The national unemployment rate was 10% in October of 2009. By May of 2013 it had dropped to 7.6%. Just two years later, in May of 2015, the U.S. unemployment rate stood at only 5.5%, not far from where many economists consider full employment. Although GDP growth has been uneven over the last two years, even declining 2% in the first quarter of 2015, it is nevertheless on a growth track. The U.S. is still considered the “best house in a bad neighborhood” relative to global economic investment and growth. Although growth in China is slowing, Europe has contained the danger of default and even begun to grow modestly. The bright spot in global growth has been the U.S. domestic economy. Equity markets are once again setting new highs. Although this is in part due to monetary policy, i.e. quantitative easing, it is also due to improving consumer demand and corporate earnings. The U.S. economy has created 11 million jobs in the past five years. In 2009 there were six unemployed for every job opening. Now there are 1.6. Likewise the gap between the unemployment rate and the number of job openings has dropped from a high of 8.2 in October of 2009 to 1.6 in May of 2015. In the St. Louis region, the unemployment rate has been reduced from a high of 10.9% in October 2009 to the current 5.8%. The number of unemployed in the St. Louis area has steadily dropped from 104,000 in 2013 to 94,000 in 2014 and finally to 84,000 as of May 2015. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for our region increased from $132 billion of 2011 to $145 billion in 2013. Economic output was dominated by private sector service providers (73%), private sector goods producers (17%) and government (10%). The industries with the largest employment gains were Professional and Business Services, Health Care and Social Assistance, and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities. The industries with the largest declines were Government, Wholesale Trade, and Other Services. More than four in ten workers were employed in either Healthcare, Government, or Professional and Business Services. Unemployment by industry is still led by Construction at 15.5% and Leisure and Hospitality at 9.2% although the order was reversed from the previous survey. Like the nation’s workforce, St. Louis’ workforce is aging, with significant growth in the 55-64 and 65+ age cohorts which now represent over 21% of the workforce in 2014. Educational attainment is still a significant factor keeping unemployment rates high and wages low for those without adequate levels of education. As in past surveys, nearly one-half of our region’s population 25 and over have a high school diploma but no post-secondary education.

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The State of St. Louis Workforce Report is divided into three sections. The St. Louis Economy compiles labor market information which is publically available as well as data which is gathered through proprietary analytical tools. The Employer Survey for this year is based on a telephone survey of over 1,100 employers across the 24 industries that comprise the St. Louis economy. Our report on The Employment and Educational Experiences of Economically Disadvantaged Populations was developed through focus group interviews that attempted to gauge the experiences and perceptions of groups within our community who are working to assure economic opportunity for themselves and their families. The Employer Survey reflects a nearly recovered economy and labor market by many measures. Nearly four in ten employers reported increases in employment over the last year while only a slightly more than one in ten reported decreases. As in past years, a slight majority of employers (52%) reported that their employment remained the same. For the first time the shortage of workers with knowledge or skills is the most frequently cited barrier to expanding employment, surpassing economic conditions and government policies or regulations. Since the State of St. Louis Workforce began we have been asking employers about their perceptions of the shortcomings of applicants for their positions (e.g. poor work ethic). The 2015 survey saw response rates to these questions jump to a range of 69% to 73% from a previous range of 50% to 60%. When employers were surveyed about their methods for skill acquisition for their workforce one response option was “hire only workers who are already trained.” For the 2015 survey, only 28% of employers responded that they could rely on that method. In this year’s survey 55% of employers reported experiencing skill shortages. When asked to report on methods to address these shortages 83% of the employers surveyed reported that they “were forced to hire less experienced workers and train them,” while 41% reported “offering increased wages due to skill shortages,” both significant increases from previous surveys. When employers were asked about the education and experience requirements for their positions for 2015 they reported relatively more positions at lower education and experience levels and fewer at higher levels, a reversal of trends we had seen through 2013. We believe that these responses are indicative of a tightening labor market where employers’ flexibility in selecting a qualified workforce has been diminished and they will increasingly be required to address training and development of their workforce and/or pay higher wages. The events of the past year in St. Louis and across the nation remind us that the benefits of an improving economy have not been evenly distributed throughout our community. The U.S. unemployment rate for African-American male youth ages 16-19 is 31.1%. The rate for AfricanAmericans with less than a high school diploma is 17.2%. These rates are in some cases double those of the population at large. In light of the theme of the 2015 report, Economic Opportunity Gaps in

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the St. Louis Workforce, this year’s survey asked employers about practices that function as either barriers or bridges to economic opportunity. In terms of bridges, we found that nearly seven in ten employers have some positions that were available to individuals with short-term, industry-relevant training, defined as no more than six months beyond high school. Overall, 37% of the jobs represented in this year’s survey required only such short-term training. Employers reported that 56% of the jobs they offered were on an established pathway to advancement through performance or further training. The vast majority (98%) of employers responded that they had some mechanism in place for employee development ranging from informal on-the-job training to tuition reimbursement programs. In terms of barriers, 50% of employers reported requiring drug screens with 40% requiring it for all jobs within their organizations. Likewise nearly three quarters of employers reported requiring background checks with 61% of employers requiring them for all jobs. The survey also asked employers a series of statements reflecting their position on hiring felons who had completed their sentence or probation. Only 13 % responded that “they would consider the applicant for any position for which they were qualified.” The majority of the responses—more than 60%—indicated that it depended on the nature of the felony and the specific job. The survey included a final question about employers’ understanding and valuing of diversity. By wide margins employers agreed with statements that diversity opened up recruitment opportunities, enhanced innovation and secured a wider skill set. As part of this year’s report we included our findings of The Employment and Educational Experiences of Economically Disadvantaged Populations compiled through focus group interviews of participants in four local programs serving targeted populations to hear their experiences and perspectives about barriers to opportunity and strategies to overcome them. These interviews found that participants had strong emotional catalysts, primarily faith, family and community as well as a strong affinity to their programs and staff (coaches and mentors). At the same time, they have significant frustrations with the job search process and the barriers they face. They understood what it takes to be a successful candidate for a job but would welcome more employer support. They were aware of the importance of finishing school and closing the achievement gap but also recognized the barriers. We believe that the 2015 State of St. Louis Workforce Report is a fair representation of the St. Louis economy and labor market including the dynamics of finding a skilled workforce. We also believe that this is a critical time for our community and hope that this 2015 report contributes to the discussions around making St. Louis a better place to work and live.

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METHODOLOGY The 2015 State of St. Louis Workforce Report is the seventh in a series of reports dating back to the beginning of the recession in 2009. These reports have provided valuable information and insights into the economic conditions and workforce issues challenging employers and job seekers and impacting the regional labor market. This year’s report is made up of three distinct parts: the St. Louis Economy, a compilation of labor market information using public and proprietary sources and tools; the Employer Survey; and a report on the Employment and Educational Experiences of Economically Disadvantaged Populations based on focus group interviews.

St. Louis Economy As in previous reports this year’s report includes an analysis of available data from public sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the United State Census Bureau which describe the characteristics of the labor force and correlates unemployment with various labor force demographics. Also included is an analysis of real-time labor market demand aggregated through a proprietary tool “Burning Glass” which searches web-based job boards to discern the level of demand for certain occupations and the skills and certifications which employers are requesting.

Employer Survey As always, the State of St. Louis Workforce Report relies heavily on first person interviews of regional employers. After focusing the survey on STEM intensive industries in 2014, the 2015 survey of employers is back to interviewing employers from the broad spectrum of industries that make up our regional economy. Over 1,100 local companies were surveyed by telephone during the summer of 2015 representing the 24 NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) industries that generally comprise the St. Louis economy (see table on next page). They were asked a series of 17 questions related to hiring trends and skill needs. Companies interviewed for the survey were selected from the Reference USA employer database provided by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).

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St. Louis MSA Establishments and Number Interviewed by Industry NAICS

NAICS Description

Establishments

Number of Businesses Interviewed

11

Percentage of Total Interviewed

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting

641

8

0.70%

21

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil & Gas Extraction

104

2

0.20%

22

Utilities

141

2

0.20%

23

Construction

9,499

112

10.20%

31-33

Manufacturing

3,677

44

3.00%

42

Wholesale Trade

4,319

51

4.60%

45-45

Retail Trade

15,035

179

16.20%

48-49

Transportation and Warehousing

2,228

27

2.50%

51

Information

1,808

22

2.00%

52

Finance and Insurance

6,964

83

7.50%

53

Real Estate and Rental & Leasing

5,004

60

5.40%

54

Professional and Technical Services

10,742

128

11.60%

55

Management of Companies and Enterprises

94

2

0.20%

56

Administrative and Waste Services

4,853

58

5.30%

61

Educational Services

791

9

0.80%

62

Health Care and Social Assistance

11,466

137

12.40%

71

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation

1,953

23

2.10%

72

Accommodations and Food Services

4,330

52

4.70%

81

Other Services, Except Public Administration

8,678

103

9.30%

Employment and Educational Experiences of Economically Disadvantaged Populations As in past years the State of St. Louis Workforce Report supplements its quantitative data and findings with qualitative information that puts some of the data into context. In light of the 2015 theme of Economic Opportunity Gaps in the St. Louis Workforce the report includes the results of focus group interviews of participants in some of our region’s many programs designed to help individuals overcome barriers to economic opportunity and find meaningful employment. The focus groups were selected from four of our region’s successful programs serving economically disadvantaged populations. These included the Urban League’s Save Our Sons program, the Metropolitan Education and Training (MET) Center, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) Summer Job League, and the St. Louis Community College (STLCC) African STLCC.edu/STLworkforce

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American Male Initiative. (AAMI). In total 31 individuals participated in the focus groups. Participants were asked a series of questions designed to engage them in a conversation about their experiences with employment and education including training, job search and interviewing with employers. The results were compiled in a report of the “Employment and Education Experiences of Economically Disadvantaged Populations” incorporated into the 2015 State of St. Louis Workforce Report.

Summary We believe the methodology followed for the 2015 report is sound and well established and its results track well with previous years’ reports and yielded valid and important information for the region.

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ST. LOUIS ECONOMY The bi-state St. Louis MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes 16 counties that straddle the Mississippi River with an estimated population of over 2.8 million. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the area had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $145 billion in 2013. The industry with the highest GDP was Financial Activities, with $28 billion. Private sector service providers accounted for 72 percent of the regions’ output, followed by Goods-producers (18%), and Government (10%).

St. Louis Missouri-Illinois Bi-State Metropolitan Statistical Area

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Employment The St. Louis MSA has a diverse economy with a labor force of over 1.3 million that work in a wide range of industries. The industries with the largest employment gains from May 2014 to May 2015 were in Professional and Business Services, Health Care and Social Assistance, and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities. Government, Wholesale Trade, and Other Services had the largest declines over the year. Over four in ten workers were employed in either Healthcare, Government or Professional and Business Services.

St. Louis MSA Industry Employment

Source: May 2015 Current Employment Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, preliminary estimates

St. Louis is home to several industry clusters. Large employment concentrations in a mix of sectors highlight areas of regional economic strength. Plant and medical science research and production represent important area clusters with a range of companies and research institutions engaged in these activities. Advanced manufacturing in transportation equipment, food and related products, and industrial machinery are also strong in St. Louis. St. Louis is home to several Fortune 500 companies including Express Scripts, Emerson Electric, Centene, and Monsanto.

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Unemployment The St. Louis MSA seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8 in May 2015, higher than the national rate of 5.5 percent and equal to the Missouri rate of 5.8 percent. As of May 2014 there are still over 84,000 people estimated to be unemployed in the area. However, this is a 0.7% decrease from the nearly 94,000 people that were unemployed last year at this time. Nationally and regionally, the unemployment rate has declined but entering the job market is still a challenge given the number of job openings available. The chart below shows how the job market has changed over the past decade. Job openings and unemployment rates provide a measure of labor demand based on the gap between the two measures. In good times the gap is small (generally less than 2) but during the recession the gap widens as the October 2009 peak of 8.2 illustrates. The national gap is now closer to 1.6. While the gap has been declining slowly, we are starting to see a return to pre-recession levels.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Unemployment Demographics Unemployment rates vary greatly with age and sex. As the chart indicates, younger workers, particularly those under age 21, had unemployment rates at or above 15 percent in the St. Louis metro during 2013. Men in the 16-19 age range had the highest rate at 26 percent. While there is a large disparity in unemployment rates between males and females in younger groups, rates were similar in the 25-54 age range.

Source: 2013 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau

For 2013, unemployment rates were the highest in the Construction and Leisure and Hospitality industries. Construction had the highest unemployment rate at 15.5 percent. From an industry standpoint, the recession hit the housing market particularly hard and as a consequence saw many construction workers unemployed during 2013. While overall unemployment rates have started to decline, the Construction industry has not yet fully rebounded from the recession. In fact, unemployment in the construction industry increased between 2011 and 2013 while all other industries experienced at least some reduction in their unemployment rates.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment 2013

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The old saying, “education pays,” is still true as it relates to income and risk of unemployment. For example, 2013 St. Louis MSA data show that having some college or an associates degree, versus only a high school diploma, reduces the unemployment rate by 2.5 points and provides $3,968 annually in average extra earnings. A bachelor’s degree or higher further reduces the unemployment rate and increases earnings.

St. Louis MSA Unemployment Rates and Earnings by Education Unemployment Rates

Educational Attainment

Median Earnings

15.1% 10.3% 7.8% 3.0%

Less than high school graduate High school graduate / GED Some college or associates degree Bachelor's degree or higher*

$20,748 $28,655 $32,623 $49,111 / $64,784

Population 25 years and older. *Bachelors ($46,111) and Graduate ($64,784) degree medians. Source: 2013 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau.

The highest unemployment rates and lowest wages belong to those workers with less than a high school education. Unemployment rates for a less than high school graduate are nearly 50% higher than those of a worker with a high school diploma or GED, and more than 5 times the rate of a worker with a bachelor’s degree. Clearly, young and/or less educated job seekers have had a more difficult time finding employment.

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Workforce Characteristics In 2014 the majority of job holders were ages 45-54, representing 22.3% of the workforce. They were closely followed by the 25-34 age group, which represented 22% of the workforce. Workers age 14-21 made up only 7.2% of the workforce.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, QWI Explorer.

The St. Louis age profile has changed over time. In 2000 workers age 14-18 made up 4.8% of the workforce, compared to 2.4% in 2014. The 55-64 and 65+ age group have steadily increased over time. The 55-64 age group has grown from 9.4% in 2000 to 16.5% in 2014, while the 65+ group has increased from 2.9% to 4.9% over the 14 year time period. St. Louis mirrors the national trend of an aging workforce.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Workforce Indicators.

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Educational Attainment Nearly one-half of the region’s 25 years and older population has a high school diploma but no postsecondary degree. Forty-one percent of the population has an associates degree or higher, similar to the national average of 38%. Nine percent of the population has no high school diploma or equivalent measure.

Population age 25 and over. Source: 2013 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau.

Current Job Demand In good times and bad, there are always job openings. Even during slower economic times, companies need to replace retiring workers as well as fill critical positions vacated through turnover and promotions. One way to measure current employment demand is to track job postings. Over the past year there were over 186,000 online job postings in the St. Louis MSA. The table lists jobs, grouped by typical education or training needed, with the most advertisements from July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015 in the St. Louis metropolitan statistical area.

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The top job overall was Registered Nurses (8,857) followed by Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers and Computer Occupations, All Other. Many of the top jobs are in Information Technology, Healthcare, or Sales.

Top Ten Job Advertisements in the Past Year Now: Short to Moderate-Term Training

Online Job Ads

Retail Salespersons Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing Customer Service Representatives Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food Secretaries and Adm. Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Stock Clerks and Order Fillers Cashiers Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers

5,561 5,034 4,082 2,360 2,316 1,648 1,596 1,359 1,327 1,252

Next: Long-Term Training to Associates Degree

Online Job Ads

Registered Nurses Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers Managers, All Other Nursing Assistants First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Computer User Support Specialists First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

8,857 7,881 3,563 2,573 1,629 1,597 1,564 1,369 1,342 1,085

Later: Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Online Job Ads

Computer Occupations, All Other Software Developers, Applications Accountants and Auditors Computer Systems Analysts Medical and Health Services Managers Human Resources Specialists Sales Managers Database Administrators General and Operations Managers Financial Managers Source: Online Job Ads from Jul. 01, 2014 - Jun. 30, 2015. Burning Glass Technologies.

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7,528 6,656 3,574 2,888 2,870 2,324 1,931 1,848 1,799 1,788

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Projected Job Demand It is also important to look into what jobs will be in demand in the future to ensure our workforce is prepared for the needs of tomorrow. Employment projections out to the year 2022, developed by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, are used to estimate the jobs expected to be in greatest demand over a ten year period. The table shows the occupations, by typical education or training needed, with top job growth openings by the year 2022. The top long-term growth jobs are Personal Care Aides, Food Preparation and Serving Workers, and Customer Service Representatives. Several occupations, such as Registered Nurses, Software Developers, and Accountants were among the top long-term growth jobs and in the top job advertisements over the past year. This indicates those occupations are in demand now, and will be in demand in the future.

Jobs by 2022 with the Most Projected Growth Openings Growth Openings

Short to Moderate-Term Training Personal Care Aides Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers Customer Service Representatives Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Secretaries and Admin. Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Retail Salespersons Construction Laborers Office Clerks, General Medical Secretaries

Long-Term Training to Associates Degree Registered Nurses General and Operations Managers Carpenters Nursing Assistants Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers First-Line Supervisors of Office and Admin. Support Workers Electricians Managers, All Other Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

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3,710 3,286 3,227 2,374 1,728 1,682 1,602 1,550 1,545 1,406

Growth Openings 3,128 2,442 2,047 1,524 1,386 964 936 850 763 760

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Growth Openings

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Computer Systems Analysts Accountants and Auditors Software Developers, Applications Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists Lawyers Construction Managers Management Analysts Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education Cost Estimators Source: Long-Term Occupational Projections 2012-2022, St. Louis Workforce Invest. Area, MERIC

1,514 1,335 1,020 1,006 602 599 574 544 516 510

Current Job Demand for Certificates The top certificates requested by employers in job advertisements over the past year are displayed in the table below. As the table shows, certificates are often associated with certain occupations or group of related jobs, such as Registered Nurse or Certified Public Accountant. Many healthcare and information technology related certificates are in the top 10, such as Registered Nurse, CPR AED, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional. This corresponds with the increasing demand for workers in these sectors. These certificates may be obtained through short-term training or through courses offered at a community college.

Top Ten Certificates Certificate

Online Job Ads

Registered Nurse Commercial Driver's License Certified Public Accountant First Aid CPR AED Project Management Certification (e.g. PMP) Certified Nursing Assistant Basic Cardiac Life Support Certification Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Emergency Medical Technician Series 7 Financial Source: Online Job Ads from Jul. 01, 2014 - Jun. 30, 2015. Burning Glass Technologies.

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7,877 6,238 2,999 2,227 1,364 1,356 813 755 715 662

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Current Job Demand for Skills To better understand the basic and specialized skills in greatest demand in the St. Louis metro area over the past year, a skill analysis was conducted. Found in the majority of job advertisements, communication skills was the most frequently requested skill in the top ten along with other key soft skills, such as organization and customer service. The job postings reflected that the number one specialized skill is Accounting, followed by Sales. Also included are the top ten software and programming skills in demand.

Top Ten Basic Skills Basic Skill

Top Ten Specialized Skills

Online Job Ads

a

Specialized Skill

Communication Skills 48,805 Accounting Organizational Skills 35,428 Sales Writing 30,397 Scheduling Customer Service 22,815 Collaboration Problem Solving 21,261 Repair Microsoft Excel 21,152 Mathematics Planning 19,937 SQL Detail-Oriented 15,550 Oracle Microsoft Office 15,460 Patient Care Research 14,844 Business Development Source: Online Job Ads from Jul. 01, 2014 - Jun. 30, 2015. Burning Glass Technologies.

Online Job Ads 11,298 10,849 8,170 7,937 7,895 7,809 7,017 6,950 6,567 4,980

Top Ten Software and Programming Skills Software or Programming Skill

Online Job Ads

a

Microsoft Excel 21,152 Microsoft Office 15,460 Microsoft PowerPoint 8,173 SQL 7,017 Oracle 6,950 Microsoft Windows 6,921 Microsoft Word 5,718 Java 4,709 SAP 3,729 Linux 3,127 Source: Online Job Ads from Jul. 01, 2014 - Jun. 30, 2015. Burning Glass Technologies.

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EMPLOYER SURVEY The 2015 employer survey is the seventh annual telephone survey of local companies in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The intent of this survey is to understand the business climate, hiring trends and occupational skills and demands from businesses in the St. Louis region. The 2015 survey targeted 1,100 employers in 24 industries as defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). These industries were selected because they represent a composite picture of the regional economy. A statistically significant sample was surveyed from each of the industry classifications. Companies employing less than five employees were not interviewed. That fact notwithstanding, the companies interviewed reflect a wide range of size as measured by number of employees. Geographically, the firms interviewed also represented the entire St. Louis MSA as depicted in the following map.

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Each employer surveyed was asked a series of 17 questions, several with multiple parts that attempted to not only gauge the hiring outlook and challenges of individual employers but also practices that either created barriers or bridges to employment and economic opportunity.

Hiring Trends - Past Year When asked if their employment levels changed over the past 12 months, slightly over half (51.9%) of survey respondents indicated that it had remained the same. This response rate has been relatively stable over the last three years (2012-2015) ranging from 50.7% in 2012 to 53.3% in 2013. Data from the 2014 State of the St. Louis Stem Workforce report is not used for trend analysis as it employed a different industry sample. The number reporting that hiring has decreased declined in 2015 to 11.3%. The response for this selection continues to decrease, from nearly 18% in 2012 to the 11.3% cited above. At the same time, the number of respondents reporting that hiring had increased rose from 31.6% in 2012 to nearly 37% in 2015.

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For the first time in 2015 employers were asked about the size of their decreases or increases in employment. For those firms that reported a decrease in hiring, the average response for the level of decrease was 14% with somewhat higher decreases for smaller firms than larger firms. The average response for the level of increases in employment was 18.5% again with larger rates of increase reported for smaller firms than larger firms.

11% of firms surveyed reported decreased employment

36% of firms surveyed reported increased employment As in past reports, the responses to this question reflect a gradually healing labor market but with a bias to caution as reflected by the number of remain the same responses.

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Hiring Trends - Future Plans When asked about anticipated employment levels over the next 12 months, most employers (54.3%) indicated that they expected levels to remain the same. This is a slight decrease from the 2013 response level of 57% as well as the 2012 level of 60%. At the same time, fewer employers expect to decrease employment levels with rates dropping from 4.4% in the 2013 report to 3.8% for this year’s report. The number of employers anticipating decreases has been almost halved from the 2012 response level of 6.8%. The number of employers expecting to increase employment rose to nearly 42% this year as compared to 38.6% in the 2013 report and 33% in 2012.

Once again for this question, we asked employers to estimate the level of workforce decreases or increases expected over the next year. The average anticipated reduction reported by respondents was 15.4% with both the smallest firms and the largest firms surveyed reporting slightly higher rates of decreases than middle-sized firms. The average anticipated increase reported by respondents was 16.4%. Again both the smallest and largest firms in the survey sample reported slightly higher levels of increase than did middle-sized firms.

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4% of firms surveyed report anticipated decreases

41% of firms surveyed report anticipated increases

In summary, most employers remain cautious as reflected by the rate of response to the “remain the same” selection option for this question. That rate of that response, however, has been decreasing in the last few years in favor of more employers anticipating increases and fewer anticipating decreases. As with responses to the question about hiring over the past 12 months, response to anticipated hiring over the next 12 months reflects a steadily improving labor market, well beyond the fits and starts of 2010-11.

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Barriers to Expanding Employment Since the inception of the State of St. Louis Workforce Report, employers have been surveyed about their perceived barriers to expanding employment. Each year the top three reasons cited have been economic conditions, shortage of workers with knowledge or skills, and government policies or regulations. This is again true for 2015 but there has been a fundamental shift in the order and magnitude of the responses to this question. In 2013, the shortage of workers with knowledge or skills exceeded government regulations for the first time but fell significantly behind economic conditions.

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In 2015, for the first time since the survey began, the shortage of workers with knowledge or skills received the highest response rate to this question; 57% of respondents reported this as a barrier to employment. This is a 19 point increase from the level reported in 2013. Conversely the percentage reporting economic conditions as a barrier dropped from 50% in 2013 to 35% in this year’s report while the percentage reporting government policies or regulations has decreased from 37% in 2013 to 22% in this year’s report, both 15 point decreases in the responses to these selections. In all, the percentage of employers responding that government policies or regulations are a barrier to employment has been more than halved since 2011 and the percentage citing economic conditions has decreased by nearly 50%. In that same period, employers reporting that the shortage of workers with knowledge or skills was a barrier increased by 50%. For the first time, we explored the criticality of the barriers cited by asking the respondents to rate the barrier on a five point scale with five being the most critical. The highest weighted average response for any barrier cited (excluding an all other category) was a 3.81 for government policies and regulations. For those employers impacted by government policies and regulations it was a very critical barrier. However the next highest weighted response was 3.78 for shortage of workers with knowledge or skills also attesting to the critical nature of that barrier.

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Finally, the lack of transportation access increased significantly in this year’s responses with 20% of employers citing it as a barrier compared to a 13% response rate in 2012 and 2013. This raises the question as to whether employers are being hindered by local transportation issues as they attempt to add new workers. The 2015 responses to this question clearly reflect a tightening labor market, at least for workers with requisite knowledge and skills, as well as a nearly recovered economy. Since 2011 both economic conditions and government policies have receded as significant barriers to employment, at least to what might be considered more normal levels, while the shortage of workers with knowledge or skills becomes the dominant barrier to expanding employment.

Adding Employees When employers were asked how they would add workers during the next 12 months, 69% responded that they would hire full-time workers, a slight decrease from the 71% who selected that option in 2013. Since there was little change from the 65% responding this way in 2012 it would appear that the “normal” level of employers who use full-time hires as a method of adding employees is somewhere between 65% and 70%. The number of employers indicating that they would be hiring part-time workers remained the same for 2015 as it was in 2013 with 63% reporting this method. Again the responses to this selection have remained remarkably stable since 2011. Although much lower than direct hires, the number of employers using contract employees and temporary

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agencies was significant with 15% reporting using each of those methods. Although this was a slight decrease from 2013 it has remained relatively stable over the last few years. Since employers could respond to multiple methods of adding employees we attempted to gauge their preferred methods. Employers were asked what their first, second and third choices were for adding employees. Of the employers responding, 47% reported hiring full-time employees as their first choice of methods with 32% reporting hiring part-time employees as their first choice. Only 3% of employers responded that using temporary agencies or hiring contract workers was their first choice in adding employees.

Although the 2014 report reflected higher percentages of STEM employers hiring full time employees as well as contract and temporary employees, an analysis of responses from 2011-2015 (excluding 2014) lead us to conclude that the methods of adding employees have stabilized to a more normal level with the majority of employers (69%) choosing to add employees full time.

Shortcomings of Job Applicants Employer responses to the 2015 survey reflected across-the-board increases in the shortcomings of job applicants as compared to 2013 and prior years. Lack of communication or interpersonal skills, poor work ethic, lack of critical thinking and problem solving, and lack of general business and industry knowledge received the highest response rate in both 2015 and 2013. However, the level of the response increased sharply, ranging from 69% of employers (lack of general business and industry knowledge) to 73% (poor work ethic) in 2015 as compared to a range of 50% of employers (lack of general business and industry knowledge) to 59% (lack of communication or interpersonal skills) in 2013.

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For those four shortcomings cited above as selected by the largest number of employers there was a 30% increase in the response rate from 2013 to 2015. One new shortcoming was added to the 2015 survey. Inability to interact with different cultures or socio-economic backgrounds was cited by 44% of employers as a shortcoming of applicants.

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For 2015 we asked employers to rate the criticality of the shortcoming they cited on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most critical. The ranking of shortcomings by criticality differed somewhat from the rankings by largest number of employers responding. Poor work ethic received the highest weighted average score of 4.5. It was followed by an unwillingness or inability to learn (4.25), lack of communication or interpersonal skills (4.19), and lack of team work or collaboration (4.17). Nevertheless it is clear that poor work ethic and lack of communication or interpersonal skills continue to be most important in the frequency and criticality of response. The increase in the percentage of employers citing all of the applicant shortcomings may be in part due to a change in the wording of the survey question which prompted employers to report shortcomings in even a small number of applicants. Previous years’ survey questions made no distinction between large and small numbers of applicants with shortcomings, raising the possibility of under-reporting in previous surveys.

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However it also raises the question as to whether the improving economy and tightening labor market is resulting in employers seeing more applicants who are not meeting their expectations. To what extent employers are actually hiring individuals with these shortcomings is an open question.

Methods of Skill Acquisition Since the inception of this survey, two methods of skill acquisition have been consistently preferred by employers: on-the-job training and in-house classroom training. Each year, on-the-job training was the most cited method of skill acquisition to drive business performance, with over 90% of employers using that method. For the 2015 survey, 95% of employers reported using on-the-job training. That response has been the most consistent for this question since the survey began. The second most cited method, in-house classroom training, has also received a consistent response rate over the period of the survey in a range of 60% to 69% of employers selecting this as a method of skill acquisition. For 2015, 60% of employers reported using in-house classroom training. Responses to two other methods may reflect more significant changes in the ways that employers help workers acquire skills. For the 2015 survey, nearly half (47%) of employers reported using on-line training as a method of skill acquisition. This is an increase from past years, particularly 2013 where only about a third (35%) of employers reported using this method. The growth of on-line training options for employers and employees appears to have an increasing impact on the acquisition of new skills. Perhaps the most significant change in responses to this question in 2015 is in the option

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for hire only workers who are already trained. In 2011, nearly half (45%) of employers selected this response as a method of skill acquisition reflecting the ability of employers to be more selective due to slack in the labor market. In 2013 this response rate had dropped to 39%. For the 2015 survey only a little more than a quarter (28%) of employers responded that hire only workers who are already trained was an option for them. It appears that the labor market has tightened to the extent that the majority of workers with skill currency in the marketplace are employed and employers are increasingly faced with varying degrees of upskilling that they will need to support for their employees.

Addressing Company Skill Shortages For the 2015 survey 55% of employers responded that they were experiencing a shortage of skilled applicants for their positions. These employers are inevitably required to make some hard choices to maintain a talent pipeline for their business. When asked what measures they were taking to address these shortages, 83% indicated that they were forced to hire less experienced workers and train them, an increase from the 2013 response rate of 70% for this selection. At the same time, the employers who responded that they were offering increased wages due to the shortage of experienced workers increased from 35% in 2013 to 41% in 2015 after remaining nearly constant between 2012 and 2013. Other measures selected by employers including hiring outside the

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region, hiring outside the U.S. and hiring contractors all reflected slight reductions from 2013 to 2015 but remained in a relatively consistent range from past years’ responses. The increases in the responses of forced to hire less experienced workers and train them and offering increased wages due to skill shortages would appear to support the conclusion that a tightening labor market is beginning to restrict employers’ options and may be the beginning of a gradual rise in wages.

Skills Shortages in Functional Areas In addition to being asked about the shortcomings of job applicants, employers were asked whether they experienced skill shortages in certain functional areas. As in past years, customer service was the functional area that received the most responses from among all employers (23%) as having a skills shortage, a slight increase from the 2013 rate of 21%. This is in part due to the ubiquitous nature of customer service as a function throughout most (70%) of all the companies surveyed. Likewise skilled trades was reported as a functional skill shortage by 22% of all employers surveyed in 2015, a slight increase from the 19% who reported as such in 2013. However, among the 39% of companies that reported utilizing skilled trades as a function, 56% cited it as a skill shortage. Business management was reported as a functional skill shortage by 13% of all employers surveyed, a slight decrease for the 14% reported in 2013.

Conversely only 5% of all firms surveyed reported a skill shortage in information technology, a significant decrease from the 19% that reported it as a shortage in 2013. However, for the 2015 survey only 23% of all firms surveyed reported information technology as a functional area within their organization and of those 22% reported it as a skill shortage.

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For the first time in 2015, employers responding to this question were asked to rate the importance of these shortages to their business. The rating was on a five point scale with 5 as most important. Patient care received the highest weighted average of 4.73 followed closely by customer service at 4.59, engineering at 4.58 and skilled trades at 4.54. Although the patient care and engineering functions were not as broadly represented in the survey, for those firms that did employ them the importance of the skill shortage was very high.

Employers were asked additional questions about their opinions on the reasons for these skill shortages. With the exception of those responding to patient care, employers across the board cited a lack of qualified new graduates in this discipline as the primary reason for the skill shortage. Increased competition for qualified graduates was the second choice for all functional areas except information technology and patient care. Rapidly changing technology and business environment was the second largest response for information technology while the prohibitive cost of training the existing workforce was the second largest response for the patient care function. The patient care function received the largest response to other as a reason for the skill shortage which may speak to regulatory or other market issues unique to health care.

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Significant changes in the reasons cited from the previous (2013) report include an increase in the response of lack of qualified new graduates in the discipline for the information technology function to 40% in 2015 from 31% in 2013 and a decrease in the responses to that same reason for patient care to 13% in 2015 from a 40% level in 2013.

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Education and Experience Data from past surveys of education and experience indicate that employers were increasing their required levels of each. In part we believe that this was due to the increasing level of technology that was being deployed by employers to increase productivity. However it is also likely that the slack in the labor market provided the opportunity for employers to be selective. One way to be selective is to keep education and experience levels high as long as qualified candidates can still be secured. Data from this year’s survey indicate that this practice might be changing.

Experience As in past surveys, the 2015 survey asked employers if they had positions requiring various levels of experience. Approximately 52% of employers reported having positions requiring four or more years of experience, a decrease from the 64% reported in 2013. Likewise 65% of employers responding to this year’s survey reported having positions that required a minimum of one to three years of experience, a decline from the 2013 response from 68% of employers. Conversely the percentage of employers reporting that they had positions requiring some experience but less than one year increased from 56% in 2013 to 60% in this year’s survey while the employers reporting that they had positions requiring no experience also increased from 39% in 2013 to 54% in 2015.

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In the previous (2013) survey, among employers with positions that did not require experience, only 9% reported having half or more of their positions requiring no experience. In 2015, 27% of employers with “no experience required” positions indicated that half or more of their positions required no experience. For employers who reported having positions with various experience level requirements, the tables below break out the percentage of their workforce at each level. One possible explanation for the apparent decrease in experience requirements as measured by this question is that employers don’t have the same flexibility to require higher levels of experience and still find adequate numbers of qualified candidates. This certainly puts employers in the difficult position of addressing increasing skill requirements in a tightening labor market.

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Education Education and experience go hand in hand as employers address their need for a skilled and productive workforce. Between 2011 and 2013 the State of St. Louis Workforce survey indicated that employers were increasing their required levels of each. Again for 2015 the survey asked employers about the educational requirements for their positions. When employers were asked if they had positions requiring various levels of education, 70% responded that they had positions requiring a high school diploma or GED, the most frequent response. This response rate is higher than the 61% reporting this education level in 2013 as well as the 64% reporting in 2012. Of those employers reporting that they had positions requiring only a high school degree, 49% reported that more than half of their positions required only STLCC.edu/STLworkforce

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high school. This compares to the 2013 survey results in which only 24% of such employers reported having more than half of their positions requiring that education level. At the same time, 41% of employers reported having jobs that require Bachelor’s degrees in this year’s survey, a decrease from the 55% in 2013 and the 47% in 2012. For the 2015 survey, of the employers reporting having positions that require a Bachelor’s degree, 15% reported having more than half of their positions with that requirement. This is a slight decrease from the 2013 level of 16% for that same metric. In short the responses by employers in 2015 indicate that, when measured as a percentage of positions available in their companies, there is an increase in positions requiring only high school and a decrease in position requiring a Bachelor’s degree as compared to previous years’ surveys. This same trend holds if we examine the percentage of positions available requiring less than high school or more than a Bachelor’s degree. The trend for this same metric in 2012 and 2013 was just the opposite, a decrease in high school only required jobs and an increase in Bachelor’s degree required jobs. For employers who reported having positions with various education level requirements, the tables below break out the percentage of their workforce at each level.

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The 2015 survey responses to questions about educational requirements may signal that employers are reversing some of the increases in education requirements we observed in 2012 and 2013 when there was slack in the labor market. As with experience levels, a tightening labor market may be limiting employers’ options to set higher educational requirements in an attempt to find the best candidates for their positions.

Bridges and Barriers to Economic Opportunity The events of the past year in St. Louis exposed the absolute necessity of economic opportunity—i.e. good jobs—to our ability to thrive as a community. This year’s State of St. Louis Workforce survey added several questions that attempt to measure hiring and employee development practices that either create barriers or bridges to economic opportunity for our citizens who are most in need. Some of these questions relate to employers’ willingness to consider individuals who have participated in more “non-traditional” programs of education and training. Others relate to the degree to which employers consider past offenses a barrier to employment. The answers to these questions and the strategies that we engage to raise ladders and lower barriers will determine how our community moves forward.

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Bridges Increasingly educational institutions and community based organizations are, individually or in partnership, offering accelerated programs to quickly teach skills and reattach potential employees to the workforce. Many of these programs are six months or less in length and often result in industry certifications. Most teach “soft” skills along with technical skills. Some of these programs can create skills for a lifetime such as welding or truck driving. Others can create the foundations for a career and educational pathways such as information technology help desk positions. Some are designed in close partnership with a specific employer and have a direct pathway to employment for those who complete. For the 2015 survey we asked employers about the percentage of jobs in their organizations that would be available to applicants who had completed short term training, defined as no more than six months past high school and relevant to their industry. Sixty-nine percent of those employers responded that they had at least some jobs that would be available to applicants with this short-term accelerated training. Thirty-nine percent of the employers responding indicated that more than half of their positions would be open to applicants with such training. Overall, employers reported that 37% of all jobs were available to individuals with short-term training which is relevant to their industry.

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In most cases accelerated short-term programs help individuals get that first entry-level job with an employer. Moving forward it is up to the employer to design a path for growth and advancement based upon performance and additional training. It is up to the employee to understand and take advantage of those opportunities. The 2015 survey asked employers about the percentage of jobs in their organization which were on an established pathway to advancement based upon performance and further training. Eighty-six percent of employers responding to the survey indicated that they had jobs that were on an established pathway to advancement while 60% indicated that more than half of their jobs were on an established career advancement pathway. On an overall basis employers reported that 56% of all jobs were on an established pathway to advancement.

Opportunities for advancement can be a false hope if the support mechanisms are not there to enable employee growth. We asked employers about their use of several different tools or methods to support employee growth. The largest response rate was for informal on-the-job training with 94% of employers citing that method. This tracks closely with employers’ responses to a previous question about skill acquisition. However about three quarters of employers cited using formal in-house training and/or allowing a flexible schedule to take advantage of continuing education opportunities. Finally, 36% had a tuition reimbursement program in place. Only 2% of the employers surveyed did not use any of the methods offered in the survey responses.

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Clearly there are bridges to economic opportunity that are available. The challenge is to make employers, job applicants and employees aware and taking advantage of them. Employers and job seekers should be more aware of some of the accelerated training opportunities available to them. Job applicants and employees should be more aware of career advancement pathways and supports.

Barriers Drug use in our community creates significant barriers to employment in two ways. Drug convictions, even for small quantity possession, creates an offense record which precludes employment in many industries and occupations. Current or recent drug use creates both a barrier to employment as a result of drug screening requirements as well as safety issues on the job. Some training programs require drug screening which can eliminate candidates from participation. In some cases students have been known to successfully complete a training program only to be rejected for employment because of failure to pass a drug screen. For the 2015 survey we asked employers about the percentage of jobs in their organization that had a drug screen as a requirement. Half of the employers responding had no drug screening requirement while half had at least some jobs that required a drug test. 40% of employers required drug screens for all jobs. Background checks are becoming almost a standard hiring screening practice for larger companies. At the same time they safeguard the company, they can create a barrier to employment when no

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consideration is given to the unique circumstances of the individual job seeker. Coupled with hard and fast policies regarding hiring those convicted of a felony, and even in some cases certain misdemeanors, they can create an insurmountable barrier to economic opportunity. For the 2015 survey we asked employers what percentage of their jobs required a background check prior to hire. Nearly three quarters (74%) responded that they had at least some jobs that required a background check. Sixty-one percent of the employers responded that this was required by all their jobs.

Perhaps the biggest barrier to getting a good job, even bigger than lack of skills in some cases, is having been convicted of a felony. High incarceration rates not only strain limited resources and reduce labor market participation but also create challenges for the former offender, employers and the community at large as they try to successfully manage the transition to the community and the workforce. For the 2015 survey we asked employers to choose from a number of statements that best characterized their companies’ position on hiring a felon who has completed their sentence or probation. Over one quarter (26%) indicated that they would not consider a (felon) applicant for any reason. Only 13% of employers responding indicated that they would consider the (felon) applicant

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Hiring Applicants with Felony Convictions

for any position for which they were qualified. The other responses indicated that it depends on the nature of the felony and the time since the offense (46%) or that they would consider the (felon applicant) for some jobs but not others (15%). Finally, for the 2015 survey we wanted to begin to explore employers’ beliefs and perceptions about diversity within their organizations. In the construct of bridges and barriers, diversity can be looked at as both. Minority inclusion across the entire spectrum of our workforce is one of the most critical challenges of our time. Our workforce cannot be sustained through relying on an aging majority population in the workforce. Inclusion is not only an equity issue it is an economic issue for the region and the nation. Diversity can be looked at as a barrier in the sense that minority populations have not always been well served by secondary educational institutions as evidenced by unaccredited and provisionally accredited minority-serving districts. Higher education has not always provided the accessibility and affordability necessary to enroll all minority students who could take advantage of it. In addition, an achievement gap exists for many minority students who fail to persist and complete their education due to lack of effective preparation or resources. Some employment practices have also negatively impacted minority inclusion. Today this is often through lack of

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awareness and understanding rather than intentional action. At the same time, diversity can be an opportunity for advancement as employers begin to understand that their future workforce will increasingly be a minority workforce and that inclusion can bring diversity of thought and innovation. For the 2015 survey we asked employers to rank their level of agreement on a one to five scale to a number of statements about diversity. The response that yielded the highest weighted average score was “diverse employees can be valuable as they offer wider recruitment opportunities” which gained a score of 4.24. This was closely followed by a rating of 4.19 for “diverse employees can enhance innovation with fresh ideas.” Also receiving high scores were the statements of “diverse employees can be valuable because they have a wide variety of skills” which garnered an agreement score of 4.13 and “employing people from diverse groups is important to my business” which received a score of 4.11. Clearly the diversity of thought and skills resonates with employers as does the opportunity to meet their workforce and customer needs. Interestingly the only statement that received a large disagreement score was “I feel I don’t know enough about equality and diversity issues.” That statement received a score of 1.71 with two thirds of the employers rating it at the highest level of disagreement (1). Employers apparently feel that they have some level of awareness about equality and diversity which may be a valuable base to grow further understanding and awareness. Whether this level of understanding is sufficient to adequately advance inclusion in the workforce is a question meriting further study.

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Summary The 2015 State of St. Louis Workforce employer survey continues to add to our knowledge of the economy and the workforce in our region. It continues to track trends that show the nearly complete recovery of our economy but at the same time exposes gaps that were masked by the recession and the large number of unemployed but qualified workers who are now either retired or absorbed back into the labor market. Both prior year hiring and future plans for hiring show continued growth. A shortage of workers with knowledge and skills now exceeds economic conditions as the primary barrier to expanding employment. The shortcomings of applicants, including poor work ethic and lack of communication or interpersonal skills, were cited by significantly more employers in 2015 than even just two years ago. More employers reported having to hire less experienced workers and train them and offering increased wages due to the shortage of experienced workers as methods of acquiring the skilled workforce they need. The level of experience and education required by employers appears to be dropping from the levels of 2012 and 2013. All of these changes in trends from the recession and recovery period, point to a tightening labor market and less flexibility for employers in recruiting qualified candidates for their positions. The survey also asked questions designed to explore employment practices that both contributed to economic opportunity and career advancement and created barriers. The acute needs of employers may create opportunities for many of our citizens who have been underserved by the recent labor market as well as longer term employment practices, but only if we can increase awareness and engage strategies that create an inclusive workforce.

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THE EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS Introduction Just a under year ago, much was written about the economic imbalances in the St. Louis region, particularly those that contributed to the social unrest in Ferguson. Since these events, it has become even clearer that St. Louis Community College and its partner agencies play a critical role in providing opportunities for all populations to access quality education and training leading to sustainable employment. To this end, this year’s research seeks to provide insight into the perceptions that economically disadvantaged populations have concerning barriers to employment and educational opportunities. Specifically, what are the education and training experiences of these populations? What are their perceptions about the barriers to finding quality employment? What feelings and ideas emanate from these experiences? How well does this population understand the local job market in terms of skill and education requirements? What are their feelings about the program interventions or resources they have utilized? How do these perspectives differ among disadvantaged populations (e.g. employment programs, education programs, generational differences)?

Methodology A comprehensive focus group design was chosen as the most appropriate methodology to address these research questions. A focus group is defined as a “type of group interview in which a moderator leads a discussion with a small group of individuals to examine, in detail, how the group members think and feel about a topic.”i In this case, the research questions are aimed at examining the many facets of how economically disadvantaged populations feel about their educational and employment experiences. Focus groups are also useful in uncovering a range of ideas or feelings that people have about something including divergent perspectives among different categories of people.ii Researchers decided to seek out the participation of individuals with experiences that allow them to speak informatively about educational and employment barriers in the community. These

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“information rich” cases are “those from which one can learn a great deal about the issues of central importance to the purpose of the research.”iii It was decided that the ideal focus group participants could come from programs such as the Urban League’s Save Our Sons program, the Metropolitan Education and Training (MET) Center, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) Summer Job League, and the St. Louis Community College (STLCC) African American Male Initiative (AAMI). Before the focus groups were administered, researchers conferred with these partner agencies about the purpose and scope of the study. The size of the focus groups ranged between six to ten individuals. Homogenous group selections were made to facilitate a productive discussion. Although all groups consisted of similar types of individuals who faced barriers to employment and educational opportunities, they have unique attributes requiring additional analysis. It is important to note that focus group participants were provided with food, a gift card and an inspirational invitation as an incentive to bolster participation. Meetings were held between June 22 and July 2 at the STLCC Corporate College. Dr. Roderick Nunn served as the lead moderator. Dr. Nunn serves as the interim campus president of the STLCC Forest Park campus. He is the past vice chancellor of economic development and workforce solutions at the college. Dr. Nunn received training on focus group research as part of his doctoral studies at the University of Maryland-University College. Lou Gerst also provided staff support to the focus groups. Mr. Gerst is an experienced focus group facilitator and serves as the Practice Leader for Strategic Talent Development at St. Louis Community College’s Workforce Solutions Group. The researchers used Dr. Ronald Krueger’s seminal work, Designing and Conducting Focus Group Interviews as a resource.

Findings Participants have a Strong Affinity for Programs and Staff Participants, as a whole, were overwhelmingly positive in describing their experiences with the programs with which they were affiliated. Many older participants (those over 30) expressed affinity for the programs and personnel they interacted with in their respective programs. Often describing a feeling of isolation prior to joining the program, they seemed to value the community experience, support and “family” environment. Many emphasized emotional support they received as the greatest benefit from their experiences. Younger participants (those in their teens and twenties) seemed to value the programs they were associated with for what was offered to them in the areas of skill building, experience and professionalism.

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Notable Quotes: “Case managers, program staff do a good job.” “Teachers and faculty are willing to help you anyway possible. I’ve seen them come out of their pockets for bus fare.” “I feel like a celebrity when I am there.” “I enjoy the brotherhood. I don’t have a father in my life for real, and so it’s cool to be able to talk to someone if I am having a bad day, need help with homework or having problems with a teacher.” “The two-day orientation was helpful. It provided useful information on professionalism and financial literacy.” “You can learn how to act in a professional environment. What makes you successful in the program will make you successful in a real job.” “The mentors and coordinators are great….we can lay it all on the table and talk about anything.”

Participants have Strong Emotional Catalysts There seemed to be a strong element of faith as a success factor among those who described facing systematic challenges. A “higher power” support was cited across the older participants as an important motivating and sustaining factor. The younger participants seemed to be less dependent on faith, instead focusing on self-reliance and motivation from their family and experiences. They cite the importance of doing “your own thing” and “what is a fit for you,” in contrast to some of the older participants, who focused on providing basic support for self and others as a primary desired outcome. The younger participants described an emphasis on overcoming challenges. They shared stories of being motivated even by family that doubted them or did not support them. There was a strong focus on proving others wrong while taking personal responsibility for success. Many described a need to set a better example for others to follow. All groups described a strong desire to make things better for those who share their experiences and who face similar challenges to those they have faced. Many individuals seem motivated by an altruism that is focused on giving back to the community and helping at risk individuals to be more successful in setting and reaching goals.

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Notable Quotes: “My family told me to believe in God and he would make a way…now it seems to be happening for me.” “God has been taken out of everything. You need something bigger than yourself – it gives you hope.” “My motivation comes from within. I am the first in my family to go to school. I feel I need to pave the way for my siblings.” “Now that I am in the program, I see a greater purpose. The reason I am staying is so that I can mentor other people and help them avoid some of the same pitfalls I experienced in college.” “My motivation comes from seeing the condition of my people….it’s not about me….just because I make it doesn’t mean my peers will make it.”

Participants have frustrations with job search process and barriers to reaching goals Frustration was a common theme in the described experiences of individuals across groups. There was a strong sense that the process is unfair among the older participants. This sentiment was shared, to a limited degree, among the younger participants. For all, there seems a perception that the process is tilted against them. Participants felt that they were forced to fight racial stereotypes during the interview process. They expressed a desire to be viewed as individuals and often described the feeling that the hiring process did not allow any opportunity to communicate who they are and what they uniquely offer. The formal, scripted process left them frustrated that they were not able to demonstrate their value effectively. There was a described feeling of helplessness that was identified as a challenge for ex-offenders, across groups. They shared the feeling that the choices made in the recent and distant past often trumped much more recent positive behaviors and acquired skills and accomplishments. This continuing struggle seemed to be a challenge to sustained motivation and effort across groups. Some described being hired by organizations after honestly sharing their legal history, only to be fired at a later date following pressure from corporate or human resources. Some described the resulting frustration of getting hired and doing the work well, only to be punished for a poor decision made ten, twenty or thirty years ago.

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The youngest participants described barriers, but demonstrated a distinct focus on overcoming those barriers. They saw their own communities as complicit in creating and sustaining some of the challenges. They pointed out the lack of role models for jobs outside of the sports and entertainment industry as an issue. They described peers sometimes “bashing” each other for taking an academic path or making a more ambitious choice for employment. Many spoke about having to be better and work harder than others to achieve equal opportunity. However, they did not describe this as a barrier as much as an accepted fact. They did not describe how it held them back, but rather how it motivated them to perform at a higher level.

Notable quotes: “My skills and certifications didn’t seem to matter in my job search because I have a criminal record, even though it was a long time ago.” “Everything on the resume doesn’t define the person; candidates should be allowed to say who they really are.” “Let’s be more open minded and try to meet people on their level.” “People from my own community are always trying to shoot me down, discourage me and say who I’m not.” “There is an illusion that black people are intimidating, dangerous, that is holding us back.” “We don’t see people that look like us in professions like law and medicine. That makes it hard.” “You have to do more, be better, work harder than everyone else to be successful. That is just the way it is.”

Information gap is well defined in their communities Across groups, there is a strong feeling that the community is not aware of the assistance available to them including employment programs and education and training opportunities. In addition, they indicated that individuals seldom act on the information when they hear about it. There was more than one reference to the fact that some in the community do not read or do research as much as they should. The takeaway is that it is essential that other ways are leveraged to more effectively reach the group. Many suggestions were made to get the message out to the people, including creating jobs or volunteer opportunities for individuals with personal testimonials so they

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can canvass neighborhoods and high traffic locations in order to share their stories. Many participants challenged the community to change the culture. They hope for a future where education is something that is expected, supported and applauded in their neighborhoods. One individual highlighted the history of pioneering higher education in the culture (e.g. Historically Black Colleges and Universities) that seems to have been forgotten in the larger community. Some participants, across groups, described a lack of readiness for some educational opportunities that were available to them immediately following high school. Some younger participants described a need to educate high school students on how to gather and process information during a college fair or support event. There was a feeling that, in the past, they may have been distracted by irrelevant presentation factors rather than focusing attention on what would have been a good “fit” for them. There was agreement that it would be helpful to provide education around career and educational opportunities and finding a good fit so that opportunities can be better leveraged. Across groups, there is a feeling that Social Media could be better utilized. The younger group members cite “Six Flags” as an organization that manages to strategically get word out to youth and as one that makes it easy to apply for employment. Several participants noted the element of mistrust, especially within the older sector. They have been disappointed before by programs that promised and did not deliver. They suggested that they might be more trusting if they saw people that looked like them and came from the places they live, having success.

Notable Quotes: “A lot of information is hidden in books.” “Information is half the battle. We need to better connect the information to people through personal testimonials.” “Six Flags does it right. They get the information out to the people and you know exactly what you have to do to go for a job.” “We didn’t even know about shorter term training programs available at the community college until we joined this program.” “I went to a job fair in high school and had no idea how to make a choice that worked for me. I ended up making a poor choice and wasting an opportunity.” “Need to get information off the campus and into the neighborhood to get people on the campuses.”

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“It’s hard to get people to accept help. If I don’t see someone who has went through what I went through or dresses like me, then I don’t trust them.”

Participants are mindful of educational barriers Individuals who have been out of the classroom setting have reported a lack of confidence that acts as a barrier. Additionally, many of these same individuals are balancing work, school and family responsibilities that make it difficult to achieve success. All groups shared concerns about the high cost of education. They noted that funding has gone down as the cost has gone up. The paperwork associated with applications for grants and scholarships were viewed as a difficult challenge by some. They noted that some are overwhelmed by the difficulty of working the system, resulting in self-selection out of the process. Once enrolled, the paperwork associated with registration and financial aid continues to be viewed as an impediment to success. The bureaucracy is viewed negatively across groups. Many of the older participants focused on the impact of the financial commitment. They voiced concerns around making ends meet and the challenge of providing for their families while attempting to better themselves through education. Some of the younger participants viewed the financial impact differently. They voiced fear regarding the amount of debt they would be saddled with upon graduating and the fact that there was no guarantee that they would find employment immediately. It was suggested that a better link and more support between education and employment might lesson this barrier. There were concerns voiced around transportation and child care in more than one group. There were those in the group who see the accumulation of challenges and barriers as too much risk to accept. They described personal experiences where money was borrowed for education, but circumstances led to them dropping out before graduation. In these cases there was frustration and anger at having only the debt to show for their efforts. Another success factor described by the group was described by one participant as a “legacy effect.” If your family values education and a strong work ethic, you are more likely to do so yourself. It is a positive influence if your family enjoys a successful tradition in education and a difficult barrier if they focus on going straight to work to support self and others with low-paying, low growth jobs.

Notable Quotes: “No one wants to take out a lot of loans. Being in debt as soon as you get out is a problem.”

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“It’s not about academics…Making it through life circumstances so you can get to school and stay in school is the problem.” “I have a negative home environment.” “Even when you graduate, you are faced with immediate debt and still have to get a job.” “No one explained the appeals process to me so I could return to class next semester.” “If you have to quit in order to live, you are left with the debt and nothing else.”

Participants have good understanding of what it takes to be successful candidate Across groups, the importance of a network was clearly voiced. All groups told stories about getting a number of interviews, but not having much luck in getting job offers, only to gain employment through a personal connection to the person or organization hiring. The younger participants even described the importance of being intentional and proactive about building a network of contacts that will help connect individuals to opportunities. Some of the older participants discussed the importance of learning to create a good resume. They felt that creating the right type of resume could help focus potential employers on the skills or knowledge that will lead to employment success. Younger participants talked about taking advantage of opportunities that will look good on the resume. Some of the older participants have found value in volunteering to build skills and improve their resumes. Participants across groups view strong “soft” skills as an important characteristic for a good worker. Specifically, they cite the ability to get along well with coworkers and strong communication skills as essential components to achieving work success. Dressing well and professional presentation was identified as important to interview success. Many of the younger participants specifically mentioned professional attire as desirable vs. dressing as they would in social situations. Participants valued strong speaking skills. Older participants seemed to value specific, applicable skills in candidates, while many of the younger participants focused on personal characteristics. The older demographic spoke of computer skills and technical ability, while the younger group mentioned confidence, intelligence and poise as some of the most important factors.

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All see education as important, but the younger participants voiced more support for traditional college degree programs than the older participants. They saw value in the process of obtaining the degree where some of the older group members emphasized education that was more closely aligned with job readiness (short-term or certification programs). All groups valued determination for successful applicants. The younger participants voiced the belief that the strong applicant should never give up on his/her dreams and should work to be the person that they want to be, no matter what. Some older participants emphasized effort and stamina, stating that success often comes when “you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe.”

Notable Quotes: ”If you don’t have anyone who can speak highly of you and pull you in, you are out.” “Staff gave my cousin a functional resume to show skills, certifications earned in prison.” “You have to dress for success and look the part.” “People skills and transferable skills are important.” “You must remain positive no matter what situation you’re in.” “You need the skills necessary to do the job well. That is what should be considered.” “You have to build a resume that fits the job. Look for situations that build the skills you need for a career.” “Confidence and speaking skills are most important. You have to sell yourself to the interviewer.” “When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.”

Participants cite the need more employer support There seemed to be an outcry across groups for employers to create more opportunity for people who want to work. There was a pronounced frustration voiced around the idea that good people who want to become contributing members of the workforce often find the entry blocked. Participants were anxious for more options in employment and the chance to prove their worth through internships and OJT programs. Most recognize that they need to strive for something beyond entry level and many do not perceive employers as interested in their growth or development beyond the entry level.

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Notable Quotes: “Need more employer buy-in and involvement if we are going to be successful.” “Entry level jobs don’t provide enough financial support.” “Competition is fierce for jobs with any future. There are lots of people competing for a few jobs. Getting one is like hitting the lotto.” “Employers are not interested in development. They want trained workers.” “I went for a good job and found that there were over 100 applicants for one job. We all stayed and tried for the job. There wasn’t going to be another opening for a year.” “Programs do a lot of great things, but they have to push for more connections to jobs.”

Conclusion The focus group participants in this study were motivated, informed and altruistic students and jobseekers. Across all groups, they spoke about the importance of the support their programs offered them. The leaders within the programs have played a prominent role in making it possible for them to make the choice to set higher goals and standards. In addition to staff, group members were often described as vital support during difficult times. They were seen as positive role models and teachers. Participants often spoke of the programs they were enrolled in as a place where they were able to become leaders and meet an internal need to support and give back to the community. While the programs were not described as perfect, all were cited as major, positive influences for participants. While participants expressed frustrations with the barriers to employment opportunities and educational achievement, they were forward looking. A major theme across groups focused on the future and creating an environment where positive activity could lead to change. Throughout the focus group sessions, participants were vocal in citing issues with process fairness and creating more opportunity, but when individuals were asked what the most important discussion points were, they talked extensively about creating solutions for their communities and a personal commitment to participating in the work. Solutions include creating more opportunities to connect those who have overcome barriers to educational and employment opportunities to individuals who have not (e.g. one-on one mentoring, marketing strategies based on personal interactions such as testimonials and neighborhood canvassing, etc.); creating private and public ventures to employ members of the community to

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rebuild the infrastructure and housing stock in the community; and generally becoming more proactive in changing a negative culture that does not value education nor the personal and collective commitment required to move their communities forward. It is important to note that participants view this commitment as one that requires resilience. They noted that this requires you to think outside of the box and overcome fears. Across all groups, participants expressed a message of striving for excellence, even when met with resistance.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the 1,100 companies interviewed for their voluntary participation in the survey. We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the Avant Marketing Group, a St. Louis marketing research and consulting firm responsible for survey questionnaire design and management of data collection and tabulation. We would like to offer special acknowledgement and thanks to the Urban League of Greater St. Louis for their guidance and assistance with the survey, focus group selection and employer panel. We would also like to thank the agencies and staff assisting with our focus group interviews for The Employment and Educational Experiences of Economically Disadvantaged Populations including the Urban League’s Save Our Sons program, the Metropolitan Education and Training (MET) Center, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) Summer Job League, and the St. Louis Community College (STLCC) African American Male Initiative (AAMI), and particularly the leadership provided by Rod Nunn., Ph.D., Interim Campus President, and Lou Gerst, Practice Leader for Strategic Talent Development at St. Louis Community College. The 2015 State of the St. Louis Workforce Report was made possible by the collaborative efforts of staff from the St. Louis Community College Workforce Solutions Group, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), the research unit of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, and our media partners the St. Louis Business Journal and HEC-TV.

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SOURCES Endnotes i

Robert Johnson and Larry, Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2008) 209.

ii

Richard Krueger and Marry Anne Casey, Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2009). iii

Richard Krueger, Designing and conducting focus group interviews. (University of Minnesota. 2002) 46.

References Burning Glass Technologies, Labor/Insight Online Job Advertisements, July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015. Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), Long-Term 2012-2022 Occupational Projections for the St. Louis Workforce Investment Areas. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gross Domestic Product, 2013. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2013 Annual Estimates; QWI Explorer. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, May 2015 Preliminary Estimates; Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment, 2013.

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APPENDIX I: FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS Program Specific Questions 1)

2)

Please describe your experiences with (name of organization): What did you find most helpful/enjoyable about the program? What could the program have done better/improved? How would you respond to a friend asking for your thoughts on the program? If you were in charge of the program, what would you change/add/delete regarding the program?

Job Search Raise your hand if you have been involved in an extensive job search (10 hours or on average/week) during the last 6 months/year. 3) 4)

5)

6)

7)

If not, why did you choose to have a more limited search? Describe your job search experience. What did you enjoy about the search? What made you a good candidate? What was disappointing/frustrating about the experience? What does a great job candidate look like? What are employers looking for? What are the most important attributes of a job seeker? How could you have been a better candidate? What advice would you give a friend beginning a job search? What are employers or people doing the hiring doing well in the evaluation/hiring process? What could they do better? If you were in charge, how would you do it? Raise your hand if you are unemployed, or underemployed (employed in a job that is not worthy of your talents or does not pay enough for you to maintain a healthy lifestyle)? Tell me about that. Why do you believe you find yourself in that situation? What do you need/how could you reach your employment goals?

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Education 8)

Tell me about your experiences with education/training during the past year.

Raise your hand if you feel that more education/training would make you more employable or would create opportunities for better employment. 9) 10)

Tell me about the challenges you have encountered in trying to reach education/training goals How could it be easier for you to achieve education/training goals?

Final Questions 11) 12) 13)

What is the most important topic that we have covered today? Why is it most important? What, in your opinion, has to change in order to improved educational/career outcomes for people like yourself? We have talked about a number of things here today. If you could speak directly to employers and/or educators/trainers, what would you tell them?

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APPENDIX II: STATE OF ST. LOUIS WORKFORCE EMPLOYER SURVEY 2015 Survey script for the 2015 State of St. Louis Workforce Employer Survey. Initial Question Employees First, including yourself, how many employees does your company CURRENTLY employ in the St, Louis area? Less than 5 (Thank & Terminate) 5 to 24 25 to 49 50 to 99 100 or more (Do not read) Refuse - Thank & Terminate (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure - Thank & Terminate

01 02 03 04 05 97 98

1a. Over the past 12 months, would you say your employment levels have increased significantly, increased slightly, remained the same as before, decreased slightly, or decreased significantly? Increased significantly Increased slightly Remained the same as before Decreased slightly Decreased significantly (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998 2a. Over the next 12 months, how does your business PLAN to change your employment levels? Would you say your employment levels will increase significantly, increase slightly, remain the same as before, decrease slightly, or decrease significantly? Increase significantly Increase slightly Remain the same as before Decrease slightly Decrease significantly (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 04 05 97 98

2b-1. (If employment levels will "increase significantly/slightly" per Q.2a) 01 02 03 04 05 97 98

1b-1. (If employment levels have "increased significantly/slightly" per Q.1a)

By approximately what percent do you expect your employment level to increase over the next 12 months? Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998 2b-2. (If employment levels will "decrease slightly/significantly" per Q.2a) By approximately what percent do you expect your employment level to decrease over the next 12 months?

By approximately what percent has your employment level increased over the past 12 months? Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998

Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998 3a. Please tell me if you have encountered the following barriers to expanding your employment level.

1b-2. (If employment levels have "decreased slightly/significantly" per Q.1a)

(Rotate barriers; ask “Any other barrier?” last)

By approximately what percent has your employment level decreased over the past 12 months?

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Shortage of workers with knowledge or skills Shortage of available training programs Economic conditions Government policies or regulations Lack of information Lack of access to transportation to get to work Lack of access to child care Any other barrier? (If "Yes" - Record on next screen) (Do not read) Have not encountered any barriers to expanding employment level (Do not read) Not applicable - Not expanding employment level (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Terminate

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 95 96 97 98 99

3c. (Re: each barrier named on Q.3a/b) Please tell how large a barrier each is to your business using a 1-to-5 scale where 1 is "insignificant" and 5 is a "critical barrier." You may also use any number between 1 and 5. And, if an item is not applicable to your business, please tell me so. 1 – Insignificant 2 3 4 5 - Critical barrier 6 - Don't know/Not sure 7 – Refuse Shortage of workers with knowledge or skills Shortage of available training programs Economic conditions Government policies or regulations Lack of information Lack of access to transportation to get to work Lack of access to child care Other barrier: [ANSWER TO Q. 10]

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

4a. If you were to add employees in the next 12 months, which of the following methods would you use? Read list; enter code for each method would use; enter all that apply. (Rotate methods) Recalling workers from a lay-off list Hiring new full-time employees Hiring new part-time employees

Hiring contract workers 04 Using a temporary agency 05 (Do not read) Not applicable - Not wanting to expand 95 (Do not read) Would not use any listed method 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 4a. What other methods would you use if you were to add employees in the next 12 months? 4b. Of the methods you will use to add employees, which will be your first choice, which will be your second choice, and which will be your third choice? Enter the answers in order - 1st Choice, 2nd Choice, and 3rd Choice. Recalling workers from a lay-off list Hiring new full-time employees Hiring part-time employees Hiring contract workers Using a temporary agency Other method named: [ANSWER TO Q. 13] (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Terminate

01 02 03 04 05 96 97 98 99

5a. Next, I am going to read some possible shortcomings of job applicants and ask about the frequency in which you see these characteristics. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants with each characteristic, a small percentage of applicants, or you have not seen this characteristic in your job applicants. (Rotate Q.5a-A thru Q.5a-M) 5a-A. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Poor work ethic. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

01 02 03

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5a-B. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of general knowledge about business or industry. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-C. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-D. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of communication or interpersonal skills. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-E. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of willingness to learn or inability to learn. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of teamwork or collaboration. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-G. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of general computer skills. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-H. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of critical thinking and problem solving. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-I. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with an Inability to think creatively or "out of the box." Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-J. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of writing skills.

5a-F. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small

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Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-K. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of basic math skills. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-L. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with a Lack of technical skills specific to the job. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5a-M. Please tell me if, over the last 12 months, you have noticed a large percentage of applicants, a small percentage of applicants, or if you have not seen job applicants with an Inability to understand written and graphical information. Large percentage of job applicants Small percentage of job applicants Have not seen this characteristic in job applicants (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 97 98

5b. Now, on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is "not at all important" and 5 is "very important," how would you rate the importance of applicant shortcomings in the following areas to your business? Again, you may use any number between 1 and 5. 1 - Not at all important 2 3 4 5 - Very important

6 - Don't know/Not sure 7 – Refuse 8 - Not applicable (Rotate shortcomings) Poor work ethic __ Lack of general knowledge about business or industry __ Lack of ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds __ Lack of communication or interpersonal skills __ Lack of willingness to learn or inability to learn __ Lack of teamwork and collaboration __ Lack of general computer skills __ Lack of critical thinking and problem solving __ Inability to think creatively or "out of the box" __ Lack of writing skills __ Lack of basic math skills __ Lack of technical skills specific to the job __ Inability to understand written and graphical information __ 6. Which of the following methods do you use to assist current workers in addressing your company's need for new or increased skill requirements? Read list; enter all that apply. (Rotate methods) In-house classroom training 01 On-the-job training 02 Vendor training 03 Apprenticeship programs 04 Community college provided customized training or education 05 Vocational training 06 Tuition reimbursement 07 Hire only workers who are already trained 08 Online courses 09 (Do not read) Not applicable - Do not need new or increased skills 95 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 6. What other methods do you use to assist current workers in addressing your company's need for new or increased skill requirements?

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7a. Are you experiencing a shortage of skilled applicants for your organization? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

8aaa. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Business Management function per Q.8aa) 01 02 97 98

7b. (If experiencing shortage of skilled applicants per Q.7a) Please tell me if you are taking any of the following measures to meet the skill shortages of applicants. (Rotate measures) Hiring from outside the St. Louis, Missouri/Illinois region 01 Hiring from outside the United States 02 Hiring contractors 03 Forced to hire less experienced workers and then train them 04 Offering increased wages due to shortage of experienced workers 05 (Do not read) Not taking any of listed measures 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 7b. (If experiencing shortage of skilled applicants per Q.7a) What other measures are you taking to meet the skill shortages of applicants? 8a. Do you employ staff in the Business Management function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 97 98

1 - Not at all important 2 3 4 5 - Very important (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Refuse

01 02 03 04 05 06 07

8aaaa. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Business Management function per Q.8aa) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Business Management? Read list; single response only. Rapidly changing technology and business environment 01 Lack of qualified new graduates in the discipline 02 Increased competition for qualified graduates 03 Prohibitive cost of training existing workforce 04 Or some other reason? (Record on next screen) 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 (Do not read) Terminate 99 8aaaa. (If name some other reason for shortage of skilled applicants in the Business Management function per Q.8aa) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Business Management? 8b. Do you employ staff in the Accounting/Finance function?

8aa. (If employ staff in Business Management function per Q.8a) Are you seeing a shortage of skilled applicants in the Business Management function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means "not at all important" and 5 means "very important," how important is the shortage of skilled applicants in the Business Management function to your business?

01 02 97 98

Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 97 98

8bb. (If employ staff in the Accounting/Finance function per Q.8b)

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Are you seeing a shortage of skilled applicants in the Accounting/Finance function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

(Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 01 02 97 98

8bbb. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Accounting/Finance function per Q.8bb) On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means "not at all important" and 5 means "very important," how important is the shortage of skilled applicants in the Accounting/Finance function to your business? 1 - Not at all important 2 3 4 5 - Very important (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Refuse

8cc. (If employ staff in the Information Technology function per Q.8c) Are you seeing a shortage of skilled applicants in the Information Technology function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 97 98

8ccc. (If see shortage of skilled applicants in the Information Technology function per Q.8cc) 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

8bbbb. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Accounting/Finance function per Q.8bb) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Accounting/Finance? Read list; single response only. Rapidly changing technology and business environment 01 Lack of qualified new graduates in the discipline 02 Increased competition for qualified graduates 03 Prohibitive cost of training existing workforce 04 Or some other reason? (Record on next screen) 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 8bbbb. (If name some other reason for shortage of skilled applicants in the Accounting/Finance function per Q.8bb) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Accounting/Finance?

On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means "not at all important" and 5 means "very important," how important is the shortage of skilled applicants in the Information Technology function to your business? 1 - Not at all important 2 3 4 5 - Very important (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Refuse

01 02 03 04 05 06 07

8cccc. (If see shortage of skilled applicants in the Information Technology function per Q.8cc) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Information Technology? Read list; single response only. Rapidly changing technology and business environment 01 Lack of qualified new graduates in the discipline 02 Increased competition for qualified graduates 03 Prohibitive cost of training existing workforce 04 Or some other reason? (Record on next screen) 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 8cccc. (If some other reason for shortage of skilled applicants in the Information Technology function per Q.8cc)

8c. Do you employ staff in the Information Technology function? Yes No

97 98

01 02

In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Information Technology?

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8d. Do you employ staff in the Customer Service function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 97 98

In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Customer Service? 8e. Do you employ staff in the Skilled Trades function?

8dd. (If employ staff in the Customer Service function per Q.8d) Are you seeing a shortage of skilled applicants in the Customer Service function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

8dddd. (If some other reason for shortage of skilled applicants in the Customer Service function per Q.8dd)

01 02 97 98

8ddd. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Customer Service function per Q.8dd)

Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

8ee. (If employ staff in the Skilled Trades function per Q.8e) Are you seeing a shortage of skilled applicants in the Skilled Trades function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means "not at all important" and 5 means "very important," how important is the shortage of skilled applicants in the Customer Service function to your business? 1 - Not at all important 2 3 4 5 - Very important

01 02 03 04 05

(Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Refuse

06 07

8dddd. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Customer Service function per Q.8dd) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Customer Service? Read list; single response only. Rapidly changing technology and business environment 01 Lack of qualified new graduates in the discipline 02 Increased competition for qualified graduates 03 Prohibitive cost of training existing workforce 04 Or some other reason? (Record on next screen) 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98

01 02 97 98

01 02 97 98

8eee. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Skilled Trades function per Q.8ee) On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means "not at all important" and 5 means "very important," how important is the shortage of skilled applicants in the Skilled Trades function to your business? 1 - Not at all important 2 3 4 5 - Very important (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Refuse

01 02 03 04 05 06 07

8eeee. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Skilled Trades function per Q.8ee In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Skilled Trades? Read list; single response only.

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Rapidly changing technology and business environment 01 Lack of qualified new graduates in the discipline 02 Increased competition for qualified graduates 03 Prohibitive cost of training existing workforce 04 Or some other reason? (Record on next screen) 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 8eeee. (If some other reason for shortage of skilled applicants in the Skilled Trades function per Q.8ee In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Customer Service? 8f. Do you employ staff in the Engineering function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 97 98

8ff. (If employ staff in the Engineering function per Q.8f) Are you seeing a shortage of skilled applicants in the Engineering function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 97 98

8fff. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Engineering function per Q.8ff) On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means "not at all important" and 5 means "very important," how important is the shortage of skilled applicants in the Engineering function to your business? 1 - Not at all important 2 3 4 5 - Very important (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Refuse

In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Engineering? Read list; single response only. Rapidly changing technology and business environment 01 Lack of qualified new graduates in the discipline 02 Increased competition for qualified graduates 03 Prohibitive cost of training existing workforce 04 Or some other reason? (Record on next screen) 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 8ffff. (If some other reason for shortage of skilled applicants in the Engineering function per Q.8ff) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Engineering? 8g. Do you employ staff in the Patient Care function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 97 98

8gg. (If employ staff in Patient Care function per Q.8g) Are you seeing a shortage of skilled applicants in the Patient Care function? Yes No (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 97 98

8ggg. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Patient Care function per Q.8gg) 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

8ffff. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Engineering function per Q.8ff)

On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means "not at all important" and 5 means "very important," how important is the shortage of skilled applicants in the Patient Care function to your business? 1- Not at all important 2 3 4 5 - Very important

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(Do not read) Don't know/Not sure (Do not read) Refuse

06 07

8gggg. (If seeing shortage of skilled applicants in the Patient Care function per Q.8gg) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Patient Care? Read list; single response only. Rapidly changing technology and business environment 01 Lack of qualified new graduates in the discipline 02 Increased competition for qualified graduates 03 Prohibitive cost of training existing workforce 04 Or some other reason? (Record on next screen) 96 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 8gggg. (If some other reason for shortage of skilled applicants in the Patient Care function per Q.8gg) In your opinion, what is the main reason for this skill shortage in Patient Care? 9. In your business, what percentage of positions requires each of the following levels of experience? What percent of positions require ... Answers MUST total 100% Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998 A minimum of 4 or more years of experience A minimum of 1 to 3 years experience Some experience, but less than 1 year No experience

______ ______ ______ ______

10. In your business, what percentage of your total employees requires each of the following levels of education as a minimum requirement? First, what percent require a... All answers MUST total 100%

11. What percentage of jobs in your business are available for individuals with short-term training, meaning not more than 6 months past high school, which is relevant to your industry? Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998 12. For what percent of jobs are there established pathways for advancement in your firm based on performance and/or additional training? Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998 13. Do you support your employees' development through any of the following? Read list; enter code for each method used; enter all that apply. Tuition reimbursement Formal in-house training Informal on-the-job training Flexible schedule for continuing outside education (Do not read) Do not offer any of the listed items (Do not read) Refuse (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure

01 02 03 04 96 97 98

14. For what percent of jobs does your firm require a drug screen prior to hire? Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998 15. For what percent of jobs does your firm require a background check prior to hire? Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998

Refuse = 997 Don't know/Not sure = 998 Doctoral degree Master's degree Bachelor's degree

Associate degree ______ Post-secondary credentials i.e. apprenticeships, trade/vocational school or any training short of a 2-year Assoc. degree ______ High school or GED ______ Less than high school ______

______ ______ ______

16. Which statement best describes your company's position on hiring an applicant convicted of a felony offense who has completed their sentence and/or probation?

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Read list; single response only Would not consider applicant for any position 01 Depends on the nature of the felony and the time since the offense 02 Would consider for some jobs but not for others 03 Would consider the applicant for any job for which they are qualified 04 (Do not read) Refuse 97 (Do not read) Don't know/Not sure 98 17. Diversity is defined as race, age, gender, and/or socio-economic background. How would you rate your agreement with the following statements on a 1-to-5 scale where 1 represents "strongly disagree" and 5 represents "strongly agree." You may also use any number between 1 and 5. 1 - Strongly disagree 2 3 4 5 - Strongly agree 6 - Don't know/Not sure 7 - Refuse (Rotate statements) Diverse employees can more accurately identify the needs of our customers. __ Diverse employees can be valuable because they have a wide variety of skills. __ Diverse employees can be valuable as they offer wider recruitment opportunities. __ Diverse employees can enhance innovation with fresh ideas. __ Diverse employees make team working a richer experience. __ Diverse employees can improve internal morale. __ Employing people from diverse groups is important to my business. __ I feel I don't know enough about equality and diversity issues. __ Those are all of my questions. The Missouri Department of Economic Development and St. Louis Community College thank you for sharing your experience and your time.

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